Prog 40

I have now read 40 issues of 2000AD. That's a milestone that I should be celebrating. But I have the lingering thought that perhaps I should tap into the vast pool of patience, which I don't have, and wait until Prog 52 before I get too carried away with myself. It seems the right thing to do, so maybe I am actually getting older and wiser. So, the celebration is on hold, let's cruise our way through Prog 40.

Prog 40

26 November 1977

Judge Dredd feels different this week. I can't quite pinpoint why, perhaps because it had reached such heights recently, while this week is grounded in a more recognisable world which doesn't quite give the story the same edge. With the gangs of Megacity embarking on a 5000-mile motorbike race, it's up to the thin blue line to maintain justice in the face of the harder criminal element. The Judges begin their crackdown well, but a rookie error by a young Judge gives the bikers the break they need and using a riot shield as a ramp they jump over the police line and onwards towards freedom. How the judges will respond we'll have to wait until next week to find out. 

This week's story is laying the groundwork, but as menacing as the biker gangs look, I just didn't feel the sense of danger radiating from them. Already this feels like a foe that Judge Dredd will easily dispatch with and as such I'm not fully invested in the story. Great setting and premise, but just not the hook I need to keep me turning the pages.

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "When was the last time you saw a dentist, creep?"

After a break last week, Future Shocks returns with a two-page story. There's not a lot to tell here. Two space prospectors are probing asteroids with a laser probe in search of gold, lead or chromium. While the older prospector tells the younger of how wild things used to be in the old days, they soon find themselves facing the unusual as their probe spits open an asteroid.  This is no normal asteroid, but rather a giant space egg, and what emerges is a fearsome-looking space dinosaur who immediately squawks "mother." What happens next is purely in the imagination of the reader, as this is where the story ends for us. 

An interesting little story, but it was slight, and the final reveal did not wow me in the way that some of the previous shocks have. I enjoyed the artwork, and the brevity of the story definitely worked to its advantage. This story is exactly what we expect from these stories, and delivered no more or no less than what we expected. Average, but in the very best way.

Rating: 6/10

Best line: "And even asteroids with heads and claws! When you've been out here as long as I have, you'll know they exist!"

Prince John remains the main driver of the story for this week's Invasion. With the exiled British government in Canada keen to get him off the British Isles and back to safety, a plan is hatched, with the Royal Navy feinting on two fronts while a lone destroyer approaches the coast where Savage with be waiting with the Prince. It is a fine plan, but unfortunately, the lone destroyer is rumbled after being spotted by a high-flying Volgan Spy plan. The enemy aircraft acts quickly, launching a missile that takes out the destroyer. 

But, as luck would have it, the destroyer manages to get its own missile off before it is hit, and this missile shoots the aircraft out of the sky. A passive observer until now, Savage finally has a part to play, in this case shooting at the Volgan aircrew as they come down with their parachutes. It is a close thing, but Savage manages to shoot all eleven of them, despite them returning fire with their own pistols. We finish with Savage sending his own message back to Canada, next time there's a rescue attempt he wants it on his own terms. 

An unlying theme throughout this story was the constant jargon used by the military and Savage's own message is delivered in a similar fashion - "W.T.S.S' - Wait Till Savage Sezs. 

The Prince John storyline still has some legs left in it, and while he didn't have a large part in the action, he was certainly the key figure behind what is happening. The story didn't grab me by the scruff of the neck, but it did gently draw me in, and I steadily worked my way through the strip, rather than eagerly flip through the pages. It was Bill Savage's expression that I enjoyed most, and the artist Mike Dorey did a great job with his maniacal facial expression. Bill Savage is a dangerous character, and this is reflected well on the page. Invasion isn't at its best here, but it is not far off it, and with a couple of tweaks I would have rated this story much higher. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "More fancy lingo but 'ol Bill smells Volgs- though I can't see none" 

Dan Dare is still on the planet Minian, but it is Bear who carries the story for the first two pages. Bear is working with the Minian slaves and preparing them to rise up against their oppressors. However, Dark Lord, the Star Slayer leader, activates the shining star. As it appears above, the slaves all fall to their knees. Not so Bear, and he is soon singled out by the Star Slayers. 

Back at the ship, Dan Dare is making emergency repairs when battalons of Star Slayer troops appear, led by a zombie-like Bear. It becomes a battle of survival for Dare and his crew, and they make a good account of themselves, before the ship lifts off slightly, creating a cloud of dust and providing Dare with a chance to grab Bear from the chaos and get him onboard. 

With the ship repaired, they make their escape by the skin of their teeth, but the final panel reveals that Bear is still in shock from whatever happened. With Dan swearing to find out what's causing this, and smash it, we are well-primed for whatever will come next. 

The action in this week's issue wasn't as thrilling as the previous one, and the artwork felt smaller, there weren't so many large panels or faces dominating a single panel. The story is moving along well, which I appreciate, but overall it felt like we dropped a gear in this story. Dan Dare's colour pages always give it an extra push, and at the end of the day, those pages were my favourite in this story. 

Rating: 7/10

Best line: "And there's nothing handier than an astro-axe!"     

"Mach 1 - Death ray" - now that sounds like a story I would want to read! And so it proves, this story is right up my alley for a number of reasons. 

When an American spy satellite is destroyed by a laser weapon, John Probe is called upon by the American airforce to investigate. The CIA and Probe's own employer have launched their own secret investigations, so he is working against his own department. Of course, in the business of secrets, there are no secrets, so Sharpe is immediately aware of Probe's movements and intentions. 

On the aircraft with the American General Logan, Probe and Logan are knocked out by coffee spiked with barbituates. Waking up, they find themselves tied to their chairs and facing two of Sharpe's operatives. Thinking quickly, Probe breaks a window, and the guns are sucked out the window, giving him and the general the upper hand. 

Flying to Edwards airforce base, Probe is loaded on an X-15 research vehicle, and launched from under the wing of a B52 he climbs high to the edge of space where he comes upon the wrecked satellite. He also comes across a Russian-manned Voshkod capsule, and a death beam weapon aimed directly at him. 

One of my great passions in life is reading about the space race against the Russians, and the manned missions of the 60s and early 70s, so this story appeals to me greatly. I loved seeing the X-15 get some time in the story (long before he walked on the moon, Neil Armstrong used to pilot an X-15), and the space action was top-notch. The only part of the story I didn't like so much was when Probe and the General drank the spiked coffee - the woman serving the coffee looked just like Tanya from the previous story, and I did briefly wonder if Lozano/Canos could only draw one type of woman. It matters little, the rest of the story looked great, and I liked that we saw Probe use his powers only sparingly. 

I was caught up in this story from start to finish, and Probe's issues with Sharpe are coming to the fore in each advancing story, no doubt things will come to a head on that front in the future, but for now, I'm loving where we are and what Probe is doing in space.

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "All systems green, Probe. Rocket engines have ignited and you're on your way!"  

A lot happens in Inferno this week, which is a pleasant surprise as after seeing the first panel of an exploding bike I was beginning to wonder if Inferno was just going to be week after week of crashes and carnage as the story slowly and steadily crawls along. I needn't have worried, the story moves rapidly through this week's strip and after an initial panel showing a fiery crash, the game is abandoned and the remaining members point an accusing finger at Charlie Vance for tampering with the salt gum. 

A cornered Vance pulls his weapon in the face of such accusations and then makes a run for it. Escaping to the copter park, he climbs in a helicopter, but as he pushes the ignition switch it explodes in a ball of flame - it seems a saboteur has been at work and Vance will tell no tales. 

The final page is in colour, which is a nice way to finish, and as the investigation continues, the remaining three heroes are found to each have five thousand dollars in their bags (planted by Vance) and the accusing fingers now point at them for accepting bribes. 

A lot of information is packed in the panels throughout the story, and this is certainly ending the comic on a high note. With the background figures still unknown to the three Heroes and they themselves facing accusations, we still have some way to go with this story. The on-field action has always looked great, but the story was far more appealing to me in this strip, with intrigue and conflict taking place away from the field of play. Next week we should hopefully get more if the same, and if we do I will continue to rate it highly. 

Rating: 8/10

Best line: "Seems it ain't only the salt-gum that gets sabotaged around here" 

Prog 40 final ratings:

Overall: 7/10

Best Story: Mach 1

Best Line: "Well, the CIA are after Logan, and I'm after you!" 

Best Panel: